Wednesday, November 26, 2008

"JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta, told Indonesia's leader he would like to visit the Southeast Asian nation again and recalled a taste for local food.The Indonesian president said that Obama also said that besides forging greater cooperation between the two nations, a visit would give him a chance to try local food again including meatball soup, nasi goreng and rambutan, the paper reported."If what is reported proves to be true, then Obama would have set two new records. The first African-American president. And the first American President to have a liking for nasi goreng. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

So Indonesia, when Obama pays a visit remember to give him the best damn nasi goreng, and a rambutan dessert.

Maybe then America will be more sympathetic and help lessen Indonesia's debt with the IMF, a debt that, once eliminated, could help Indonesia divert its wealth to help alleviate poverty in the country. (27.1% of Indonesians live below the poverty line, which is roughly 63 million people).

Remember, in the first place it was a Hungarian-born American speculator's speculative activity that crushed the Southeast Asian economy a decade ago. America, do a favour for the world. Stop bullying.